Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, accusing her of “shedding crocodile tears” over an alleged gang rape in Rajasthan’s Alwar and dared her party to withdraw support from the Congress government in that state.
Hours after his remark, Mayawati accused Modi of doing “dirty politics”, and demanded his resignation for incidents of Dalit atrocities in the past.
A day ago, Modi and Mayawati separately accused the Congress of hushing up the alleged gang rape in Rajasthan’s Alwar until polling had been held in the constituency.
The crime in Alwar led to protests across the state after the woman’s husband said she was raped on April 26 and the police were informed on April 30, but a first information report (FIR) was filed only on May 7.
Rajasthan voted in the Lok Sabha polls in two phases, on April 29 and May 6.
Addressing election meetings in Kushinagar and Deoria in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Modi told Mayawati, “Please do not shed crocodile tears. If you are serious, why don’t you withdraw support from the Congress government in Rajasthan?”
The Bahujan Samaj Party has given support to the Congress government in Rajasthan, although the two parties have no arrangement in any state for the Lok Sabha elections.
In a press note, Mayawati said, “In the wake of this (Alwar) incident, Modi is doing dirty politics. The BSP will for sure take an appropriate political decision in the absence of stringent and proper legal action in the case.”
The Bahujan Samaj Party press note issued in Lucknow also asked Modi why he was “not taking moral responsibility” for incidents of Dalit atrocities in the past.
“Why is he not resigning?” it asked.